HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010.1216.TCRM.Minutesz:\council packets\2011\r1-6-11\101216m.docx Page 1 of 11
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE
FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
December 16, 2010
* CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Mayor Schlum called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m.,
which was held in the Town Hall Council Chambers.
* INVOCATION – Pastor David Felten, Fountain Hills United Methodist Church
* ROLL CALL – Present for roll call were the following members of the Town Council: Mayor Schlum,
Councilmember Dickey, Councilmember Hansen, Councilmember Elkie, Councilmember Contino and
Councilmember Leger. Town Manager Rick Davis, Town Attorney Andrew McGuire and Town Clerk Bev Bender
were also present. Vice Mayor Brown was not present at the meeting.
* MAYOR’S REPORT
i) None
* SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES/PRESENTATIONS
i) Presentation by Sandi Thompson, Jerry Miles, Linda Kavanagh and Jackie Miles regarding the Fountain Hills
Cultural and Civic Association’s art donations, the Art Docents Program and the Save Our Sculptures volunteers
(copy of the presentation on file in the Clerk’s office).
Community Services Manager Mark Mayer addressed the Council and stated that the Town has been involved for several
years now in the public art program and recognized the fact that it is an excellent public/private partnership and the
citizens of Fountain Hills and those who visit the community are the ultimate beneficiaries of those efforts. He
recognized the following members of the Community Services staff for their outstanding efforts, Kathy Worrell and
Angelica Giardino.
Sandi Thompson, Chairman of the Public Art Committee, addressed the Council and stated that the Committee is under
the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association, and was formed in 1995. She provided brief background information
on the Committee and noted the past Chairmen of the Committee. He discussed various art pieces, including A Good
Book, by Mark Lundeen, and Precious Cargo by Jason Napier. She noted that most of the art pieces have been purchased
through private donations and three were purchased by the Town. She discussed the benefits of the Public Art Program
and said that the last nine pieces that the Town received were donated by local artists. She added that fundraising is a
major part of the Committee and encouraged everyone to donate to this worthy program.
Jerry Miles addressed the Council and stated that it is the formal goal of the Public Art Committee to have 100 pieces of
art in place by the time of the Town's Centennial on February 14, 2012. He reported that they have 92 pieces now, either
in place or coming up and added that he received a call yesterday from a couple who said they wanted to donate an
absolutely beautiful piece of art. He added that they are currently working on Power of Thought by Victor Issa and
reported that it had a gallery price of $85,000 and it was purchased for $59,000 ($10,000 down and the balance due by
May 2012). He said that they are within just a few dollars of raising the balance. He advised that one of the next pieces
that is on the Consent Agenda this evening is called Waves and Windows by local artist Brian Schader.
Mr. Miles asked Linda Kavanagh, a member of the Public Art Committee, to come forward at this time and explained that
she is responsible for the Docent program. Ms. Kavanagh explained how she created the Docent Guided Art Walk
Program. She stated that she contacted every artist whose piece is displayed in Town and asked them what they were
thinking when they created their piece. She advised that the answers she received were inspiring and extremely interesting
(she cited examples of the pieces and the reason behind their creation). She said that people hear these stories when they
take the Docent guided art walk and thanked Mr. Mayer for his continued support and Brian Hughes for his assistance.
She encouraged all citizens to take advantage of this wonderful program. She discussed all of the programs they have in
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place and the efforts that have been expended to expand this wonderful program and enhance the arts in Town. She
reported that their brand name for their collection is "Milestones -- a Desert Odyssey for Public Art."
Mr. Miles introduced Jackie Miles and said that she is the one who really started all of this. She stressed the importance
of maintaining these works of art. She advised that they found a sculptor, Joe Lindsay, who lives in Santa Fe, New
Mexico and comes twice a year to this area to perform maintenance, deep cleaning and waxing on the sculptures at the
Mayo Clinic and on other sculptures in the Scottsdale collection. She informed the Council that through the Town
Council they have a contract with him and he performs this necessary work twice a year. She added that in between those
visits, they need to have them cleaned on a regular basis. She reported that in 2009 a local resident, Dan Whalen, came to
her and said that he had enrolled in a course and his assignment was to create a volunteer visionary project. She further
stated that he decided to do an SOS project, Save our Sculptures, because he wanted residents to be more involved and
take ownership of what they have in Town. She said that she gave him some suggestions and then asked Heather Weir if
she could come up with some volunteers to help with the program, which she did. She noted that there are currently 14
volunteers and briefly explained the current process that is in place and being carried out by these volunteers. She thanked
the Council for their support in getting the deep cleaning done and encouraged other citizens to become involved in this
very worthwhile project.
Mayor Schlum thanked everyone for their presentations and for the wonderful service they provide to the entire
community. He also expressed appreciation to everyone who has donated to these programs and to the wonderful
volunteers for their efforts.
ii) Financial Presentation by Dennis Osuch, CPA, with the auditing firm of Larson Allen LLP of the Town of Fountain
Hills’ Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2010.
Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Julie Ghetti addressed the Council and explained that the Town is required to
undergo an annual audit performed every year by an independent certified public accountant. Last year, the Town issued
and RFP (Request for Proposal) for auditing services and the firm of Larsen Allen was awarded the contract for the next
three years. She briefly described the supplemental materials provided to the Council as well as the contents of the report
(a complete copy of the presentation is available in the office of the Town Clerk). She advised that there are some
recommendations in the report that the staff has already implemented. Ms. Ghetti introduced Mr. Dennis Osuch, a partner
with Larsen Allen, and said that he would be happy to respond to any questions from the Council.
Mr. Osuch addressed the Council and said that his firm audited the financial statements of the Town for the Fiscal Year
ending June 30, 2010 and in doing so they also compiled a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). He briefly
explained the process that his firm carries out and noted that the firm issued an unqualified opinion stating that they found
the statements to be in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. He added that as part of the audit they
also reviewed the internal controls and although they don't give an opinion on internal controls, they do issue a report that
contains any deficiencies that they might find. He said they did have some findings that they did report and indicated his
willingness to respond to any questions regarding that from the Council. He added that they did find that the Town was in
compliance with the Highway User Revenue Funds and they were spent in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes. He
said that they also provide an opinion on the LTAF 2 Report and said that they issued an unqualified opinion that they too
were spent according to regulations governing them.
Discussion ensued relative to the various documents provided to the Council (supplemental reports) as well as a general
breakdown of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
Mr. Osuch stated that he would be happy to respond to questions regarding any of the reports that his firm has issue.
Mayor Schlum thanked Ms. Ghetti and Mr. Osuch for their presentations.
Mayor Schlum expressed appreciation to volunteer Amanda Olson for decorating the Council Chambers, Town Hall and
the purple Christmas tree at the Community Center and said she did an excellent job.
CALL TO THE PUBLIC: None.
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CONSENT AGENDA
AGENDA ITEM #1 – CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
FROM NOVEMBER 18, 30 AND DECEMBER 2, 2010.
AGENDA ITEM #2 – CONSIDERATION OF ACCEPTING THE PIECE TITLED WAVES AND WINDOWS,
BEING RECOMMENDED BY THE PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE TO BE PLACED ON PUBLIC DISPLAY AT
FOUNTAIN PARK.
AGENDA ITEM #3 – CONSIDERATION OF A SPECIAL EVENT APPLICATION FOR THE MOUNTAIN TO
FOUNTAIN RUN PRESENTED BY BANDITOS RUNNING CLUB TO BE HELD MARCH 12, 2011,
SECTIONS OF FOUNTAIN HILLS BOULEVARD AND SAGUARO BOULEVARD WILL BE CLOSED FOR
THE EVENT.
AGENDA ITEM #4 - CONSIDERATION OF A SPECIAL EVENT APPLICATION FOR THE RAGNAR
RELAY PRESENTED BY SAGE GROSSI TO BE HELD FEBRUARY 26, 2011.
AGENDA ITEM #5 - CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 2010-43, AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL
AGREEMENT WITH THE MARICOPA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR IMPROVEMENTS
TO SHEA BOULEVARD FROM FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN LIMITS TO BEELINE HIGHWAY (SR87).
AGENDA ITEM #6 – CONSIDERATION OF A TEMPORARY USE PERMIT FOR THE PLAZA
FOUNTAINSIDE, LOCATED AT 12645 N. SAGUARO BOULEVARD, FOR REPEATING OUTDOOR RETAIL
SALES EVENTS FOR 2011. CASE #TU2010-08.
AGENDA ITEM #7 – CONSIDERATION OF A TEMPORARY USE PERMIT FOR “ART ON THE
AVENUE/FARMERS’ MARKET,” REPEATING OUTDOOR RETAIL SALES EVENTS FOR 2011. CASE
#TU2010-10.
AGENDA ITEM #8 – CONSIDERATION OF APPROVING EXPENDITURE WITH PERFORMANCE PAVING
IN THE AMOUNT OF $45,000 FOR THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD JULY 1, 2010 THROUGH DECEMBER 31,
2010.
Councilmember Elkie MOVED to approve the Consent Agenda as listed (items 1 - 8) and Councilmember Dickey
SECONDED the motion. A roll call vote was taken with the following results:
Councilmember Dickey Aye
Mayor Schlum Aye
Councilmember Leger Aye
Councilmember Hansen Aye
Councilmember Contino Aye
Vice Mayor Brown Absent
Councilmember Elkie Aye
The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present (6-0).
REGULAR AGENDA
AGENDA ITEM #9 – PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING ORDINANCE 10-09, A TEXT AMENDMENT TO THE
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS ZONING ORDINANCE, CHAPTER 6, SIGN REGULATIONS, SECTIONS
6.08.B.13 AND 6.08.D.3. THE AMENDMENTS EXTEND THE EXPIRATION DATE TO DECEMBER 31, 2011
FOR A-FRAME SIGNS AND BANNERS FOR SPECIAL SALES EVENTS. CASE #Z2010-06.
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Mayor Schlum declared the public hearing open at 7:07 p.m. The Mayor stated that there will be one report on Agenda
Items 9 and 10.
Planner Gene Slechta addressed the Council and said that these two items include a public hearing and a text amendment
(consideration of Ordinance 10-09) to the Zoning Ordinance that extends the expiration date to December 31, 2011, for
commercial A-frame signs and banners for special sales events (copy of the presentation on file in the Clerk’s office). He
noted that on November 9th of this year, staff came before the Council to discuss this issue at a Work Study Session. He
said that they sought direction on the upcoming expiration of these sign types. He added that staff presented potential
options to the Council regarding the expiration dates of these sign types and a summary of compliance by businesses in
the Town. Mr. Slechta advised that the Council directed staff to initiate amendments to the sign regulations and staff has
completed the draft ordinance revision that addresses the Council's requests (i.e. extend the expiration date for A-frame
signs to December 31, 2011 and extend the expiration date for banners, balloons and pennants used for events such as
special sales events for sixty (60) consecutive hours, or less, per month to December 21, 2011. He added that on
December 9, 2010, the Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on these text amendments and staff
presented the ordinance draft to the Commission. He advised that draft minutes of that meeting were e-mailed to the
Council following that meeting. He noted that staff recommends approval of the text amendments as proposed.
Mayor Schlum thanked Mr. Slechta for his presentation.
There being no citizens wishing to speak on this agenda item, the Mayor declared the public hearing closed at 7:10 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM #10 – CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE 10-09, A TEXT AMENDMENT TO THE TOWN
OF FOUNTAIN HILLS ZONING ORDINANCE, CHAPTER 6, SIGN REGULATIONS, SECTIONS 6.08.B.13
AND 6.08.D.3. THE AMENDMENTS EXTEND THE EXPIRATION DATE TO DECEMBER 31, 2011, FOR A-
FRAME SIGNS AND BANNERS FOR SPECIAL SALES EVENTS. CASE #Z2010-06.
Councilmember Hansen MOVED that the Council approve Ordinance No. 10-09, text amendments to Chapter 6 of the
Town of Fountain Hills Zoning Ordinance and Councilmember Dickey SECONDED the motion.
Councilmember Dickey advised that a resident contacted the Councilmembers and urged them to be more proactive in the
enforcement area, in addition to the education outreach that they are going to be doing. She said that obviously there are
budgetary implications associated with that but stated that she agrees with that premise if it is at all possible.
The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present (6-0).
AGENDA ITEM #11 – DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTING DRAFT COUNCIL GOALS
FOR FY2011/12.
Town Manager Rick Davis addressed the Council and reviewed the draft Council goals for Fiscal Year 2011-12 (copy on
file in the office of the Town Clerk). He noted that the changes from two nights ago have been included and are
highlighted in pink.
Mr. Davis advised that staff will participate to the extent that they can fiscally do so. He noted that staff has preliminarily
set a number in the CIP (Capital Improvement Program) that would allow staff to participate but they need to continue to
develop that partnership and clarify their role in that project.
Councilmember Dickey MOVED to approve the Town Council’s goals for FY 2011-12 and Councilmember Leger
SECONDED the motion.
Mayor Schlum asked whether Councilmember Dickey wanted to talk about the Centennial and she advised that they are
meeting on Monday at 4:00 p.m. and will talk about this issue so there will be additional information following that
meeting. She stated that she went to the Centennial Summit today and reported that amazing progress is being made. She
said she believes they are going to have a way to bring this more into the public light because there are more exciting
things happening.
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Councilmember Leger advised that at this point he is not clear what the project's scope is. He said that he attended some
of the Arts Council's meetings and he believes they have some expectations, which he thought were reasonable but they
have not defined what those are in the plan. He added that they have a number of $125,000 and if they are going to move
to adopt this particular plan with that number in it, he would like to add some verbiage in the second column where it
says, "Investigate possible partnerships and options." He said that that was an excellent addition but he would like to
suggest that they do something about project scope and he would suggest the wording, "identify project scope as well as
investigate possible partnerships and options." He stressed the importance of doing this on the front end of the project.
He reiterated that there are a lot of expectations out there and the plan that has been presented to him is a very exciting
one but before they move forward they need to identify the scope and it looks like Councilmember Dickey is getting close
to doing that possibly at the meeting on Monday.
The Council was comfortable with that addition.
Councilmember Hansen referred to Page 5 under C-3 where they talk about expanding the web based instruments and
using their existing e-mail lists of people who have participated in programs and said that she would like the Council to
consider advertising in the newspaper and perhaps on their website and in their newsletter to solicit public input from
people who might not have participated and so their names are not on the e-mail list. She said they should be encouraged
to submit their e-mails if they want to participate.
Mayor Schlum spoke in favor of Councilmember Hansen's suggestion.
Mr. Davis asked whether that pertains to the item they discussed the other day about having a virtual open house and
Councilmember Hansen replied that this is just a way to allow people who are out there who might want to participate in
the surveys that they will be doing on the website to do so.
Mayor Schlum moved on to the Environmental Sustainability section and Civic Responsibility section and
Councilmember Hansen referred to Page 9, developing a calendar to showcase the Town, and asked who will be doing
that. Mr. Davis advised that Mike Ciccarone will carry out the actual technical responsibility.
Councilmember Hansen asked who will actually work on the calendar itself and Mr. Davis stated that various departments
will be involved in that aspect. He said they can either provide the departments themselves with the ability to upload that
information or Mr. Ciccarone can assist in that process.
Councilmember Hansen noted that they added a statement to the effect that the Town will cooperate with BVAC to avoid
overlapping efforts and pointed out that BVAC does not do the calendar -- that is done by the Chamber and Tourism. She
added that that is why she suggested a joint Work Study Session with a coalition of the Chamber, Tourism and BVAC in
attendance as well as any other stakeholders to discuss and brainstorm all of the areas identified at the last meeting,
including the calendar, the public virtual art tour, the branding, marketing, and the website to promote tourism and even
some of the economic initiatives like business retention. She advised that there was a good example in the newspaper of
including local resources -- they have been doing this in Carefree over the last six months -- and it goes along with what
Councilmember Leger talked about last Tuesday (businesses participating in the marketing efforts). She noted that in
Carefree a business association was formed to try and find ways to help suffering businesses and they came up with the
Carefree Business Association's Marketing Campaign that includes a media blitz and social media campaign to attract day
trippers, tourists, residents and people with disposable income. She added that they are pooling efforts of the Business
Association, the established Chamber of Commerce and the Town with the goal of helping the merchants service business
people and town professionals. She stated the opinion that it is important to meet with all of the stakeholders on the five
areas that have been identified before moving forward on the specific initiatives. She said that a collective community
effort could impact the requirements of staff and they are having the Summit in January with neighboring communities to
share ideas and explore shared opportunities. She stated that it would seem they should take the opportunity to have a
local Summit and do the very same thing and it could result in saving the Town money. She added that they should take
more time to explore other ways they can pursue some of these goals as a community coalition instead of just the Town.
Councilmember Hansen MOVED to table this item until such time that a stakeholder Summit could take place.
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Mayor Schlum said that he believes the last time they spoke on this he was hearing the same thing from everyone and that
was to get everyone focused, meet with BVAC and then have the larger meeting but if the Council would rather have the
meeting that is something to consider as well.
Councilmember Hansen stated that it is not just BVAC and that is why she feels that it should be a comprehensive
approach with stakeholders from all of the groups. She added that Carefree is launching a $30,000 campaign right now to
go through the winter months and they are all chipping in to pay for it.
Councilmember Dickey asked whether schools, kids and other organizations would be involved because when they are
talking about branding of the Town she doesn't want to limit what that entails and she too believes that a lot of people
should be involved and that would remain a goal of theirs.
Councilmember Hansen stated that she thinks the issue is that they got quite specific in some of the initiatives that staff
was going to undertake and that is what she was not comfortable with at this point.
Mayor Schlum said that they should not lose the focus on this but they can broaden it so it is included because it is also
something that could be 18 months away and so they have a lot of time to devote to working on it and doing it the right
way.
Councilmember Hansen commented that if they are talking about staffing issues (adding some staff), in an effort to
achieve some positives maybe they can get some of these things accomplished without additional staff.
In response to a question from the Mayor, Councilmember Hansen advised that she doesn't want to start amending items
out of the proposal like the five main issues where they identified that they have overlapping going on.
Councilmember Leger asked if Councilmember Hansen was referring specifically to the development of the activities and
events calendar and she replied no, that was just the one that came up first. She added that she was actually referring to
the five that came up on Tuesday -- the calendar, the public art virtual tour, the branding marketing, the website to
promote tourism and the story about Carefree gave her some thoughts on the business retention idea, where the merchants
really took an active part to bring this forward.
Councilmember Leger stated that what he is hearing from Councilmember Hansen is as they engage in any of these
activities and goals it is important that they network with the appropriate stakeholders and she concurred. Councilmember
Leger asked whether it would be possible to revise the proposal and come up with a comprehensive statement this evening
that would include something of that sort. He added that he is hearing her say that as they look at each one of the
initiatives they should be looking at who the stakeholders are and make sure that the Town is networking with them.
Councilmember Hansen said that it is possible that there might even be other groups that have their own initiatives going
on. She stated the opinion that they have an opportunity to use more of their local resources to help get some of their
goals accomplished.
Councilmember Leger advised that the operative word is to network with the owners or groups of the processes related to
that.
Councilmember Hansen commented that it felt like some of them were developed in a vacuum without finding out what
else was going on.
Councilmember Leger expressed the opinion that they could probably craft a statement that would encompass what
Councilmember Hansen is suggesting as part of the process and agreed that there are other groups out there. He said he
would like to know if she would be comfortable with "massaging" what they have here and make it clear that they have to
identify who the stakeholders are and make sure they create a process for networking with them. He added that this is a
Town driven initiative.
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Councilmember Contino stated that he likes the Carefree/Cave Creek idea because businesses in Town are going to suffer
next year. He added that they are not on the incline like everybody thinks they are and if they can get the Town involved
with the community it could be a big boost to the community.
Mayor Schlum advised that he is reading it differently than Councilmember Hansen is and said he is reading it as
something the Council wants to see happen in the community and it is not saying who is doing anything yet. He agreed
that they want to get everyone's input because that is what the community calendar is all about and there is probably a
whole lot more that will come out of that but he just doesn't know the process and that is what he would need help with to
make sure that they give staff the right direction. He added that they would have to work on that together. He said that
Councilmember Hansen mentioned tabling this and asked if they would just take this part out for now.
Councilmember Hansen replied that if they could just give the issue another meeting or two they could continue the
dialogue on how they could move forward. She stated that she is not sure that there is any way to "band aid" it so that it
could move forward as is.
The Mayor said that they could perhaps amend it to say that staff would work with Council, community partners and
others in the community as they revise and move forward on this goal (the calendar, the tour, branding, etc.).
Councilmember Dickey asked if the idea of gathering more information from more places stops them from having that as
a goal. She asked if the calendar, for example, would be something that they would not want to do anymore. She stated
that she would like to keep the goal and would not want to necessarily table the idea of the goal but maybe the idea of just
taking BVAC out of there and just saying, "coordinate with stakeholders." She added that the same is true with the
branding -- they are looking at a Town brand and she would not want to remove that goal because that is really important.
She asked how they could keep that in there while giving Councilmember Hansen enough comfort that they will get the
kind of input that will provide the type of product that they want. She further stated that if there is a way to do that, she
would prefer to go in that direction because these are goals that the Council came up with and how they get there is going
to develop as they work on them.
Mayor Schlum advised that he wanted to have something in place so that they have this on their radar. He suggested that
they add, "Collaborate and partner to develop" at the very beginning.
Councilmember Hansen questioned doing something that another group is already doing and Mayor Schlum said that
what he is reading is them working with other organizations and perhaps they just need to point that portion out. He
added that it was not about them doing it and if they were to do it Mike Ciccarone would have a lot more work to do.
Councilmember Hansen stated that that is what the "Go Fountain" is all about -- that that is a whole separate website for
the community calendar.
Mayor Schlum commented that it could be and perhaps there is just too much detail in there and it feels like they are
painting themselves into a corner but they don't know what corner they want to be in yet and Councilmember Hansen
concurred. The Mayor said that he believes he is hearing agreement with everything Councilmember Hansen is saying.
He suggested that they add wording that allows them to maintain this as a goal and also allows them to figure out who is
going to be involved in it. He added that right now they don't have any dollar amount in it either so this is just something
that they could move forward over the next 18 months to end up with a central community calendar of sorts that is a
collaborative effort with partners in the community.
Councilmember Hansen suggested coming up with something that would be included in the motion that these particular
areas would not really move forward until some sort of a collaborative effort took place within the community.
Mayor Schlum commented and they are not going to build anything in yet. He said he thought that would be good unless
there is something they have to do and asked Mr. Davis if there was something urgent that had to be done and he said no.
Councilmember Elkie stated that he thinks it is important too because they have a lot of great ideas that they would like to
see happen but they need to take it step by step before embarking on an Eagle the Go Fountain idea and other ideas --
they have to first decide what the Town's brand is going to be and what they want to put out there. He added that they
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could certainly collaborate with the Chamber, BVAC and other organizations to make sure that they don't have a
competing brand and that they are working together but stressed that it is the Town's brand. He stated that the Chamber
might have one thing that is similar and perhaps compliments the Town and vice versa but it is the Town's brand and it is
important that they don't lose sight of that. He agreed that they want to hear from all the stakeholders and get all their
input but said it is so easy to get bogged down with so many different things that they want to accomplish that they don't
accomplish anything. He stated that he wants to make sure that they go about this very pragmatically.
Councilmember Contino asked how often they could come back and meet to do an evaluation and find out what they are
doing -- he said that they don't want to lose track of what they are talking about.
Mayor Schlum replied that that is why they want a process set up and his thought was that BVAC is one organization
where people come together to do things in a coordinated, collaborative manner but it does not include everyone as
Councilmember Hansen mentioned. He added that it is at least a place to start to formulate a process that would include
more people (the calendar in particular) to make sure everyone in and out of the community is aware of all of the
opportunities they offer.
Councilmember Leger commented that it sounds to him that they are pretty much in agreement with the goals to a certain
point and the deliverables/expected outcome but what is questionable, and perhaps it is not appropriate at this time, is the
process. He said that perhaps along the lines of the motion that Councilmember Hansen mentioned, the Town Manager
puts together a process for moving these initiatives forward and brings them back before the Council and they review the
process. He stated that to him that seems to be what is missing. He added that these are the "whats" and they are talking
about the "hows and the whos and the whens." He expressed the opinion that there doesn't seem to be a comfort level
with moving forward with it unless they have a well defined process in place that they feel comfortable with.
Councilmember Dickey advised that she doesn't want to remove the branding one, for example, as a goal even if the exact
process is not really defined at this point. She added that it seems they might just be too narrow with saying BVAC and
perhaps they should just say, "Coordinate with other community efforts that are similarly being pursued" or something
like that. She said that the different brandings should not compete but rather should complement one another and so they
have to know what each other is doing and she would not want to remove the whole branding goal.
Mr. Davis suggested that in the last sentence they strike the word "cooperate" and add "coordinate with other community
efforts and stakeholder groups to avoid overlapping efforts on the community calendar and compliment other community
efforts." He said that similar language would be adopted for similar language in other goals and initiatives.
Mayor Schlum stated that staff could work to develop a process towards doing these things and ultimately present it to the
Council for approval and implementation (more of an update).
Councilmember Contino commented that he likes the way it is going and he thinks they have to get a copy of what
Councilmember Hansen was reading off of tonight to make sure they all stay on the same page.
Mayor Schlum noted that there is a BVAC meeting the end of the month and they can float this out to them and let them
know their thoughts and solicit input from the group, which has been good at bringing stakeholder groups together. He
added that perhaps a couple Councilmembers could work on this effort or similar efforts.
Councilmember Hansen expressed the opinion that there are opportunities to help the Town's budget by utilizing some of
the resources that they have in the community.
Mayor Schlum thanked all of the Councilmembers for their input and said they know how much there is to do in the
community and stressed the importance of getting that word out to others.
The Mayor stated that Mr. Davis will incorporate the language mentioned above in other areas where they are looking to
collaborate with stakeholders and Mr. Davis said yes, including the branding effort.
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Councilmember Hansen added the virtual tour and public art and Mr. Davis concurred and stated the same language
would be added to those areas as well.
Mayor Schlum moved on to Education, Learning & Culture (ELC) and said that is where they will add language about
collaborating with their community partners and stakeholders (ELC 4) and increase external awareness. He noted that
they previously spent some time on Economic Vitality and that too will include the revised language.
Councilmember Elkie stressed the importance of encouraging citizens to e-mail the Town Manager and the Council
regarding the branding issue and said that their thoughts and input are crucial to a successful process.
Mr. Davis commented that the branding process is always preceded by a crystal clear idea of what they want to see
happen and they will have to determine how their current brand either aids or hinders their ability to get to that point. He
added that their brand exists, they are not going to create a brand, and the branding that they are going to pursue will be
based on what they want to change or strengthen about that brand so that they can achieve the objectives that have been
identified. He said that community branding strategies can be very different from Chamber or tourism strategies. He
stated that it may be the same and they currently can pursue synergies if they see that there is some overlap there but they
may have objectives that are very uniquely community oriented and centered and they should compliment and not hinder
other branding strategies. He advised that the more closely they are coordinated, the better the end result.
Councilmember Hansen said that the Carefree idea would fit into this area and noted that this was one of their goals as
well (retention and helping the businesses - EV4).
Mayor Schlum stated that he has heard a lot from the Council and others about the benefits of going out in front of groups
and talking about the community and providing information -- taking the information that they have and letting the
citizens know about it. He referred to EV6 and noted that they talked about the tools the Town has in light of the
Downtown Business Plan. He said that they always have their eye on the business plan and helping to bring that alive
(what can the Town do) and although they don't have money to put towards it during these times they could look at zoning
considerations that might spur on or prepare them for the Vision Plan coming to life as the economy turns around.
Councilmember Hansen referred to EV5 and the recommendation to have an alternative additional website that could be
utilized to promote tourism. She said that this is an area that would definitely need the additional language.
The Mayor stated that he is not sure whether the Council agrees with his statement regarding zoning considerations and
said that if they expect the scale of the downtown to build out changes will have to be made.
Councilmember Dickey asked if the "green language" was okay and said it might be a little vague regarding zoning
changes but she agrees with the Mayor's comment. The Mayor stated that it was fine.
Councilmember Leger also concurred with the Mayor's observation and stated that that is one of the few tools they do
have in terms of incentives. He noted that under EV4 there is some language and perhaps they need to expand in that area
and include zoning and ordinances in addition to codes. He added that part of their conversation regarding EV4 had to do
with additional staffing and there was some un-comfortableness expressed relative to that. He said that he understands
that that is something that will be pursued during the budget discussions but wondered whether they wanted to add a
comment here that talks about evaluating staffing needs just to get that in there. He stated that he would have a better
comfort level if that language was included. He added that if they look at all these goals and determine that they need
additional staff but don't have the funding for it then they will have to go back to the drawing board and re-prioritize some
of the ambitious goals that have been included.
Councilmember Dickey advised that she wanted to clarify with Councilmember Leger that that is sort of the same
philosophy as a return on investment or expense -- if there is something to show that it will bring in more business or
accomplish something that needs to be accomplished -- and Councilmember Leger said yes, he is just saying evaluate the
need for additional staff and as part of that they will look at the return on investment. He added that he feels this is
important.
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Councilmember Hansen stated that Councilmember Leger made a good point on Tuesday about the timing of this and
with the economy as it currently is she thinks they could probably throw lots of money at it and it would not make any
difference right now.
Mayor Schlum went on to Recreational Opportunities and Amenities and there was no input regarding this item. He
thanked the Council for the work they have put into this and asked for a motion to approve the goals as amended this
evening.
Councilmember Elkie MOVED to approve the Town Council goals for FY 2011-12 as discussed and amended and
Councilmember Dickey SECONDED the motion.
Following discussion, Councilmember Dickey MOVED to withdraw her original motion to accept the goals and
Councilmember Leger withdrew his SECOND to that motion.
(The motion to approve as discussed and amended went forward.)
The motion CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present (6-0).
AGENDA ITEM #12 – COUNCIL DISCUSSION/DIRECTION TO THE TOWN MANAGER
Items listed below are related only to the propriety of (i) placing such items on a future agenda for action or (ii) directing
staff to conduct further research and report back to the Council.
A. NONE
AGENDA ITEM #13 – SUMMARY OF COUNCIL REQUESTS AND REPORT ON RECENT ACTIVITIES BY
THE TOWN MANAGER.
Councilmember Dickey mentioned that she and the Mayor had attended the Rural Metro 60th Legacy Celebration, which
had been attended by the Boys and Girls Club and had showcased a number of their vehicles. She indicated that she had
gone to the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and learned that the metro area was going to be one of four
launch markets in the US for advanced LGLTE wireless broadband networks, which was relevant to public safety and
economic development, and that she would continue to follow.
Mayor Schlum wished everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year and thanked staff for their hard work.
Other members of the Council extended the same wishes to everyone.
AGENDA ITEM #14 - ADJOURNMENT
Councilmember Contino MOVED to adjourn the meeting and Councilmember Elkie SECONDED the motion, which
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY by those present (6-0). The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
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TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
By __________________________
Jay T. Schlum, Mayor
ATTEST AND
PREPARED BY:
_________________________
Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Session held by the
Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 16th day of December 2010, in the Town Hall Council Chambers. I further certify
that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 6th day of January 2011.
_____________________________
Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk